THE SHOW MUST GO ON BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR TROJANS AND BRUINS IS TO REPLACE DEPARTED STARS.

Byline: BILLY WITZ Staff Writer

It might have been hard to remember through the past few years' highlight reels, but the foundation for USC's resurrection as a national power under Pete Carroll was its defense -- the type of swarming but sound unit that few people, particularly on the West Coast, ever saw anymore in college football.

Yet when last seen, the Trojans' defense was treating Vince Young to a parade around the Rose Bowl, escorting him up and down the field as if he were a float on Colorado Boulevard.

In fact, it looked just like the USC defense that existed much of last season -- getting carved up by Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, making Fresno State look like Florida State, and having a devil of a time stopping Arizona State. USC allowed 57 more points than any of Carroll's previous teams.

The surest sign of the defense's mortality might have been Carroll's decision to gamble on his offense to beat Notre Dame with a two-point conversion and Texas by going for it on fourth-and-1 late in the game.

As bad as the Trojans were, they weren't the worst defense to inhabit the Rose Bowl. That would be UCLA's.

The Bruins allowed less than 499 yards only once in their final eight games, a span in which opponents averaged 40.7 points.

Again, not that anybody noticed all this.

With the offenses as good as they were at UCLA and USC last season, it was easy to overlook the blemishes. Not counting the game they played against each other, USC and UCLA were a combined 21-2, and the Trojans were one fourth-down stop -- or as Carroll would prefer to point out, a fourth-down conversion -- from a national title.

Now the stars are gone.

Departed from USC are the back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, as well as six other offensive starters who were selected in the NFL draft. No longer at UCLA are Drew Olson, Marcedes Lewis and Maurice Drew -- the triumvirate who led the Bruins to their best season since 1998.

Gone with them is a crutch.

``It was easy last year to say, `Oh, well, we've got Reggie, because you could expect so much every game out of those guys and you kind of depend on it sometimes,'' USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson said.

``Say we're down in a game, the defense was like, `OK, if we stop 'em, we've got (Bush, Leinart, et al).' It was like a safety net.''

Perhaps John David Booty will replace Leinart as seamlessly as Leinart replaced Carson Palmer, and the transition at UCLA will be as simple as trading one Olson (Drew) for another (Ben). But it's nothing anyone is penciling in.

``It would be great if they put up 50 points a game again, but as a defense that's not something we're going to count on,'' said UCLA linebacker Christian Taylor, whose team allowed 40, 41, 28 and 27 points during a four-game stretch -- and won them all.

If scrimmages this month are any indication, the defenses will carry more of the weight at both schools.

At USC, Carroll says his defense will be the fastest and most versatile he has had. Its strength is a six-deep linebacker corps that is allowing Carroll to use more 3-4 alignments, though another reason for the change might be a dearth of quality linemen.

``You never know until you get there, but hopefully we can play like we practice and do the things we're counting on,'' Carroll said.

At UCLA, a return to health of tackle Kevin Brown and end Nikola Dragovic, who combined to play fivegames last year, should improve a defense that has allowed 221 rushing yards per game over the past two seasons.

``The guys up front hold the key to the kingdom,'' said safety Chris Horton, part of a speedy secondary.

Like Carroll, UCLA coach Karl Dorrell is cautiously optimistic.

``I expect us to be a whole lot better,'' Dorrell said of his defense. ``How much better, I don't know.''

Much of the optimism at UCLA revolves around the decision to fire defensive coordinator Larry Kerr and replace him with DeWayne Walker, a former NFL secondary coach who has worked under a number of top defensive coaches -- Gregg Williams, Bill Belichick, and Carroll, who also made Walker his first hire at USC.

Nobody complained about Kerr's defense three years ago. Anchored by three senior linemen now in the NFL -- Ryan Boschetti, Rodney Leisle and Dave Ball -- the Bruins were one of the Pac-10's best. But UCLA's inability to quickly fill the recruiting holes left by former coach Bob Toledo left the Bruins' line inexperienced, undersized and shallow the past two years.

That Kerr's defense, modeled after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Cover 2, relied on pressure from the defensive line compounded matters.

Schemes, though, were just part of the problem.

``We played kind of lackadaisical, jogging on the field and stuff like that,'' said Dragovic, whose torn ACL midway through last season coincided with the defense's unraveling. ``Sometimes, maybe people would take plays off. You can't do that.''

That doesn't appear to be a problem now.

The last seven months under Walker have brought an attitude adjustment. The defense starts each practice with an effort drill, such as sprinting around cones or hitting bags. The intent is shock therapy.

Anyone missing a tackle during scrimmages finds himself immediately on the sideline -- be it a first-stringer or scout-teamer.

``It's an attitude,'' Walker said. ``If I just told you without teaching any technique -- see that guy with the ball? I want you to run as fast as you can to him and get him down. Even if you're doing all the wrong things, if you get all 11 guys thinking that way, you've already got a pretty good chance of being a good defensive team.

``Really, it's making guys accountable and calling them out. All the defensive coaches are (bad guys) and we'll make life real hard for you as a player if you miss tackles.''

If anyone is welcoming the kick-in-the-pants approach, it's middle linebacker Taylor, a former walk-on who began his career at AirForce.

``Attitude has to be taught, it has to be preached, it has to be demanded,'' Taylor said. ``If you don't demand a certain type of attitude out of your players and expect it, you're not going to get it. Some guys have it naturally, a lot of people have to be pushed.

``Coach Walker's belief is he'll take a less-talented guy that will work harder, who will study the game, know exactly what he's supposed to do and run all over the place like a madman over a kid that's more talented that won't do that. That's what we're building this defense on.''

The difference at USC is that Carroll has created an environment in which he rarely has to choose between effort and talent. He has both.

Carroll says he has 20 defensive players he considers capable of starting, which not only keeps competition keen in practice and allows him to keep players fresh, it gives him plenty of versatility. The prime example is using linebacker Brian Cushing as a pass-rusher in the 3-4, a look Carroll's teams have rarely shown.

``We have guys that can do more things,'' Carroll said. ``We can move them around and give them a chance to do the things they do well in terms of rushing or covering. It's been fun putting it together. We've got quite a bit of flexibility. It's a strength we haven't had.''

The other distinguishing characteristic of the defense is its speed. Few running backs will run away from linebackers Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers, and incoming freshman safety Taylor Mays (10.88 in the 100 meters) and cornerbacks Vincent Joseph (10.82) and Shareece Wright all have sprinter's speed.

``This is the fastest I've seen the defense from top to bottom,'' said secondary coach Rocky Seto, who has been at USC as a player or coach for the past 10 years. ``If you're taking size or speed, I'm taking speed first. Guys are able to make people miss their blocks, guys are getting in the backfield, guys that are getting on top for the deep ball. You're able to compensate for mistakes, and then when you're hitting on all cylinders, you're really smoking.''

The last time the Trojans took the field, they were doing more than smoking. They were coughing and wheezing. They had injuries, of course, down to third-stringers in the secondary and freshmen at linebacker. And they weren't the first ones Young made look like tackling dummies.

But still ...

``Coach Carroll really sets a high standard. Playing defense is special here,'' said Cushing, a sophomore. ``I was wondering what was going on.''

Many players profess to have amnesia about the Rose Bowl, and appear to have turned the page on last season. That they allowed 128 more points than in 2004, or that they allowed three 100-yard rushers in the final six games when they had allowed two in the previous 40 games is dismissed as an anomaly, at least to anyone carrying a notepad.

Amongst themselves, the memory might not be so short.

``We try to focus on the now, but we're all human,'' Seto said. ``Maybe the bad taste is still in their mouth. But there is a way to help get it out of your mouth.''

Perhaps by having a parade of your own.

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CAPTION(S):

14 photos, 3 boxes

Photo:

(1) no caption (USC defense)

Ana P. Gutierrez/Special to the Daily News

(2) Sam Keller passes for 347 yards and two TDs. Sun Devils lead 21-3 at halftime.

(3) Paul Pinegar throws for 317 yards and four TDs as Bulldogs score most points vs. Trojans in '05.

(4) Vince Young (267 yards passing, 200 rushing, three TDs) costs Trojans third straight title.

Getty Images

(5) no caption (UCLA defense)

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

(6) Jerome Harrison rushes for 260 yards and two TDs. Cougars lead 28-14 at halftime.

(7) Reggie Bush and LenDale White combine for 414 yards rushing and four TDs.

(8) Brett Basanez passes for 416 yards and two TDs (both in fourth quarter).

Getty Images

(9) QB MATT LEINART

(10) RB REGGIE BUSH

(11) RB LENDALE WHITE

(12) QB DREW OLSON

(13) RB MAURICE DREW

(14) TE MARCEDES LEWIS

Box:

(1) GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

USC and UCLA's departed offensive stars

(2) USC DEFENSE - WORST OF '05 SEASON

(3) UCLA DEFENSE - WORST OF '05 SEASON